Japan: Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Shakes Iwate-ken Oki

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake has shaken the Iwate-ken Oki region of Japan. The earthquake occurred at 06:51 Japanese Standard Time on 23rd June 2011. The quake was located 20km below the Earth’s surface and at a latitude of 39.9N and longitude of 142.5E.

A series of lower-level quakes have rumbled throughout Japanese territory over the last week, including a magnitude 5.6 at Ibaraki-ken Oki on 21st June and a magnitude 5.9 at Fukushima-ken Oki on 18th June.

The country sits on the Japan Trench – part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The oceanic Pacific plate subducts beneath the continental Okhotsk Plate. This movement accounts for the large number of earthquakes and tsunamis experienced by the island nation.